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Led Zeppelin sued for 'Stairway To Heaven'


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Seen & heard documentary on LZ many many rips, the opportune obscurity of so many of the early blues artist allowed, as they were plainly embraced, appropriated, & made LZ's own, more then just borrowing licks, but even phrases and lines...

 

Sad.

 

I really despise rip offs and love pure original inspiration. And I love a lot of LZ's music but would love it more if I new it had integrity.

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I see them through jaundiced eyes, now. They were never particularly my favourite band, but their thievery just makes Page and Plant seem like opportunistic scumbags. Sad, because Page definitely had enough talent to not need to steal others' music. He just didn't have the integrity.

 

In another case, it took a long, long time for Clare Torrey to get credit for Pink Floyd's 'Great Gig In The Sky.'

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I listened to the song in question by 'Spirit' on YouTube and was somewhat surprised at the similarities. Led Zeppelin actually toured with the band in their early days. Surprisingly Mr. Page went on record in 1988 saying:

 

"Obviously it can get to the point where it gets past being a compliment, and it can be rather annoying, when you've got things like Kingdom Come, actually ripping riffs right off, that's a different thing altogether."

- Led Zeppelin's guitarist and producer Jimmy Page

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I listened to the song in question by 'Spirit' on YouTube and was somewhat surprised at the similarities...

Mr. Page went on record in 1988 saying:

 

"Obviously it can get to the point where it gets past being a compliment, and it can be rather annoying, when you've got things like Kingdom Come, actually ripping riffs right off, that's a different thing altogether."

- Led Zeppelin's guitarist and producer Jimmy Page

Growing up during these times, I watch many guitarist, "ripping riffs", it was how one learned; Mr Page sees that, as I did back then & now, as complimentary, one emulated those one admires; much of the "ripping riffs", that was done by Mr. Page was not done 'right off" (as he puts it), and that is, I think what he means in this statement, by taking the riff, and owning it, make it your own (always subtile & discriminatingly, it can be as little as a hammer on or off that changes the spirit of a riff), at least that's my way of thinking ;)

 

True "copyright issue" belong in the courts... all else falls in the court of public opinion. :mrgreen:

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Growing up during these times, I watch many guitarist, "ripping riffs", it was how one learned; Mr Page sees that, as I did back then & now, as complimentary, one emulated those one admires; much of the "ripping riffs", that was done by Mr. Page was not done 'right off" (as he puts it), and that is, I think what he means in this statement, by taking the riff, and owning it, make it your own (always subtile & discriminatingly, it can be as little as a hammer on or off that changes the spirit of a riff), at least that's my way of thinking

 

Learning from others is one thing. Claiming it as your own is another. It's natural to learn from others but then you should take what you learned and create something new and original. And "these times", as you put it are now. People are still doing the same thing.

 

True "copyright issue" belong in the courts... all else falls in the court of public opinion.

 

The courts are the public. It's up the opinion of a jury or judge to decide if someone infringes on someone else's rights.

 

My only question is, why didi the original creator/copyright holder take so long to bring a law suit? Just like with the Men At Work, Down Under lawsuit.

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~Finally~ someone is taking this band to task for their early career arrogance! That cocky smugness that Plant displayed in interviews (damn him) the strutting, you could tell by the way they strutted on stage that they had to ~believe~ they were the best, damn them!

 

Is it just me, the Lordliness, the swagger, the toploftiness (-_-) they just thought they were soo much better than everyone else...yea, well now its time to pay the piper.

 

I knew there was something similar about that song. :|

 

 

Sincerely Tshh

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Seen & heard documentary on LZ many many rips, the opportune obscurity of so many of the early blues artist allowed, as they were plainly embraced, appropriated, & made LZ's own, more then just borrowing licks, but even phrases and lines...

 

Sad.

 

I really despise rip offs and love pure original inspiration. And I love a lot of LZ's music but would love it more if I new it had integrity.

 

 

Integrity? Isn't that something you find in abundance in Texas?

 

Hmm...

 

Sincerely Tshh :|

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  • 1 month later...
Growing up during these times, I watch many guitarist, "ripping riffs", it was how one learned; Mr Page sees that, as I did back then & now, as complimentary, one emulated those one admires; much of the "ripping riffs", that was done by Mr. Page was not done 'right off" (as he puts it), and that is, I think what he means in this statement, by taking the riff, and owning it, make it your own (always subtile & discriminatingly, it can be as little as a hammer on or off that changes the spirit of a riff), at least that's my way of thinking

 

Learning from others is one thing. Claiming it as your own is another. It's natural to learn from others but then you should take what you learned and create something new and original. And "these times", as you put it are now. People are still doing the same thing.

 

True "copyright issue" belong in the courts... all else falls in the court of public opinion.

 

The courts are the public. It's up the opinion of a jury or judge to decide if someone infringes on someone else's rights.

 

My only question is, why didi the original creator/copyright holder take so long to bring a law suit? Just like with the Men At Work, Down Under lawsuit.

I've been a big Spirit fan most of my life. I remember reading an interview with Randy California in the late 1980s in which he said he was hoping Jimmy Page would do the right thing, but that he didn't want to spend his life in court with the formidable Led Zeppelin lawyers, he had a son to raise. That turned out to be a wise decision- he drowned saving his son from a rip tide in 1997.

 

I used to like Led Zeppelin until a friend played me the Jake Holmes song, Dazed and Confused. I just can't listen to Led Zeppelin anymore. Jimmy Page is the un-artful dodger of rock and roll.

 

I loved Led Zeppelin III growing up, but I'm fine with never hearing it again.

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